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Bitcoin news: The Crypto World Guests in Berlin

BlockShow Europe 2018 took place in Berlin from 28 to 29 May. Developers, investors and crypto enthusiasts from all over the world came together to initiate projects, exchange ideas and discuss the future of the Blockchain. The BTC-ECHO team was also there and summarized some impressions of the event for you.

One event, two days, two stages, 80 speakers from all over the world, 150 blockchain projects and more than 3,000 visitors - that's BlockShow Europe 2018 in figures. In Europe's crypto capital Berlin, representatives from business, politics and information technology came together over the past two days to talk about their common theme: the Blockchain. The spectrum ranged from more technical topics such as the Internet of Things or artificial intelligence to political topics such as regulation and the implementation of blockchain applications in practice.

Bitcoin news: What role can the blockchain play?

In a high-ranking panel entitled "2018 as a Year of Blockchain Education", a Bitcoin news discussion was held on how to raise awareness of the technology. The Bitcoin news panel included, among others, Blockchain-YouTuber Ivan Liljeqvist as moderator as well as Lisk founder and CEO Max Kordek. Since its rebranding with the Lisk Academy, the Lisk Blockchain platform in particular has been focusing on education in the blockchain area.

In the round on "Getting Blockchain Investments Mainstream in 2018", the participants tried to find out how blockchain-based types of financing are gaining ground. The main objective will be to encourage traditional institutional investors to make crypto investments. Emerging markets in particular are being identified as suitable locations for implementing new types of financing with block-chain products - traditional venture capital structures are not yet as pronounced here. In any case, a regulatory framework is needed to provide companies and start-ups with a clear framework.

Mike Butcher, editor-in-chief of TechCrunch, provided a highlight with his keynote lecture "Disinformation could kill Crypto". He presented trust as the central element of the blockchain - just because people don't trust each other, a blockchain solution becomes necessary. Butcher sees the mass of ICO scams last year as reducing trust in the blockchain. If people lose confidence in the technology, the blockchain will not be able to assert itself.

Regulation: innovation killer or helping hand?

Also of interest was the panel "Governmental Blockchain Initiatives within EU (and beyond)", which discussed and commented on regulatory measures in politics. Vit Jedlicka, the founder of the Free Republic of Liberland, held the very clear opinion that any state regulation would harm the free development of technology. Liberland is a project of a more or less government-less state that functions entirely on the blockchain. So far, Somalia is the only country considering recognition of the state - but Somalia itself has no functioning government.

Jedlicka proposes to test the separation of state and economy in a similar way to the separation of church and state. According to his calculations, one third of the EU's economic output has been destroyed by regulation in the last 12 years. He ignores the fact that the world economic crisis, which is due to the excesses of capitalism, also falls during this period. Blockchain investor Plamen Russev immediately contradicts him and states that not every member of society is an entrepreneur. In the interest of all others, rules for the economy are needed so that we do not live in a Wild West in which the law of the strongest applies.

All in all, the block show was a very colorful event that left many impressions and food for thought for the rest of 2018. We can be curious to see how this will develop in the near future in terms of adaptation and regulation. The location Berlin as a crypto hub of Europe and home to countless blockchain start-ups and entrepreneurs was also underlined on these two days.